Update to yesterday's food: did not wake up hungry, so did not eat grapefruit, carrot, or boca burger. That puts yesterday's caloric total at 1673. Sweet! Interesting how listening to my body, I ate way more calories on a rest day than yesterday, when I worked out. I guess my body knows.

Read affirmations last night (as posted, but not as drifting off to sleep) and this AM, but kinda half-assed. I think I need to change it up a bit, but until I do, I recommit to focusing on the affirmations twice a day. I do them while I'm putting in my contacts, brewing my coffee, etc...and I think this is OK, because the idea is to think about them when my mind is in dreamland, so I think it's OK to do them on autopilot while doing other autopilot things.

Hey lady,
I have to ask - because I just noticed . . . is your hair very short - like buzz cut short??
I have dreads - have had them for the last 6 1/2 years . . . and I'm very tempted to just cut it all off.
Especially after what happened to my dog last night . . . I feel a transformation coming on.

To answer Lindsay76: Yes, my hair is super short...1/2" long, to be exact. I use a #4 "foot" all the way around with my own clippers every 2 weeks. I've had it like this for a little over a year. I felt my own transformation coming on after a bad dye job at an Aveda salon resulted in some of my hair, piece by piece, snapping off when I combed it wet, like it was cooked spaghetti. I tried to tell them my hair can't take bleach and to just do the red...but NOOOOOOOOO, "Don't worry, hon, we'll use a really gentle bleach." Bah, says I! Ah, well...I had been toying with the idea of cutting it all off as I began thinking about turning 30 in July of 2006...and clearly, I like it this way, at least for now.

My affirmations really need some work. I was reading a book about overcoming worry last night in bed and fell asleep before I could do my affirmations. At least I was reading about how I can help myself...but I did say them this AM.

Today is a rest day. I'm happy to report that the past couple of weeks, I've felt my muscles the day after my workouts. I was a little concerned that going from a full split to an upper-lower split (not sure if I'm using the correct terminology here) would lower the muscle-building benefit...but, as has been suggested in the training forum here and elsewhere, hitting a muscle group 2-3 times a week instead of once means it gets to grow 2-3 times a week instead of once. And you can lift more overall weight for that body part since by the time you get, say, to the incline press, the chest is recovered from its workout the other day and thus stronger, instead of being pre-fatigued by the bench press from 10 minutes ago. But the mirror will tell the truth...which may be that none of this matters and keeping things ever changing is the factor behind success. Or maybe the full split will prove to be better. Well, I digress...that's perhaps a discussion better saved for the training section than my training journal. I love the variety of sections here and will take care not to "contaminate" them with inappropriate content!

And now I'm going to get ready for work. I have a stressful situation to deal with and am practicing positive self-talk...which is affirmation-like!

I AM MAKING TODAY A GREAT DAY!

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. - Bruce Lee

Clever Name wrote:Read affirmations last night (as posted, but not as drifting off to sleep) and this AM, but kinda half-assed. I think I need to change it up a bit, but until I do, I recommit to focusing on the affirmations twice a day. I do them while I'm putting in my contacts, brewing my coffee, etc...and I think this is OK, because the idea is to think about them when my mind is in dreamland, so I think it's OK to do them on autopilot while doing other autopilot things. .

I do my affirmations as a mantra while doing cardio (walking & bicycling), and I do short meditative visualizations while stretching after a good workout. I read a book Spirited Walking years ago that gave me the idea.

Fantastic idea, Bunnylalu! I love the multitasking angle. I have tended to ruminate over problems while working out...sometimes it helps, because I think of potential solutions, or I get a better perspective...but to get AWAY from the problem entirely and focus only on envisioning my life and myself as I want them to be is better.

Last night, I thought about what was troubling me work-wise and THOUGHT positive thoughts instead of reading through the affirmations to see how that helped. I think affirmations are better. It was hard to think positive thoughts in the moment, specific to my situation, when I was on the brink of sleep, and my sleep was restless. I'm exhausted.

Did affirmations last night and this AM, but not 1st thing. I'm going to put them on post-its and put them on the bathroom mirror so I'm focusing on them while putting in my contacts, brushing my teeth, etc. I've narrowed them down to the top three!

Yesterday's food (1929 cals):

FF multigrain bread, 1 slice
boca burger
flaxseeds, 2 T

CLIF builder's bar

1 c corn w/boca burger smashed up and stirred in. Added taco sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and hot pepper...TASTY!!! Sodium-heavy, of course...I'm a total salt addict. One thing at a time, though...one day, I'll deal with the sodium and caffeine. My weekday food plan tracks sodium, and it's at around 2250 mg, largely due to the boca burgers and the mustard in my homemade cal-free salad dressing. I'm using less of the dressing, though, and this week I'm going to cut the mustard in half and use water for the rest. I'll see how that goes. ANYHOW, back to the food journal...
10 almonds
1 c frozen grapes (if you haven't tried this, you should--nature's sorbet!)

Happy Sunday! Today, "Joe" and I had our weekly review session of how our challenge is going so far. I'm pleased to report that my weekend eating has been stable, which is my utmost goal in entering this challenge. We compared notes--I won't share Joe's, because that's his work, not mine. But it sure feels good to have a partner who is also struggling to have a more healthful lifestyle. Although our struggles are different, we both know offering simple "Why don't you just..." suggestions doesn't help, and we can empathize with one another's difficulties over what may, to others, seem easy. (For example, stopping after one cookie instead of eating the whole bag is easier for others than it is for me, and for someone to say to treat myself in moderation when they don't know about my struggles with bingeing is annoying.) The simple act of tracking is raising awareness for both of us, and I'm so happy and grateful to have Joe's partnership in this.

I also want to extend my gratitude to all here on the forum for your support and encouragement. I'll continue to check in on your training journals, even when I'm not posting replies daily. Seeing that we all have good days and less good days reminds me to keep going.

To all our health and happiness,
Beth

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. - Bruce Lee

Clever Name wrote:1 c frozen grapes (if you haven't tried this, you should--nature's sorbet!) (For example, stopping after one cookie instead of eating the whole bag is easier for others than it is for me, and for someone to say to treat myself in moderation when they don't know about my struggles with bingeing is annoying.)

I have a mature grape arbor and spent all of Sunday picking and distributing grapes (3 bushels) to friends! I plan on freezing some of them today, and juicing the rest. Also - the ability of others to snack in "moderation" is completely dumbfounding to me! However, when I stay true to the Thrive Diet - my cravings are minimized so that the sweet munchie recipes in Thrive are very satisfying. Good luck to you - I totally understand your struggles...

bunnylalu wrote:However, when I stay true to the Thrive Diet - my cravings are minimized so that the sweet munchie recipes in Thrive are very satisfying. Good luck to you - I totally understand your struggles...

This sounds like something I really ought to check out. Does it also minimize cravings (for you and/or for others, to your knowledge) for salty fatty foods? My cravings don't discriminate between sweet and salty, as long as the food is nice and fatty! (Which is why I never did like Snackwells in my pre-vegan days and generally don't like baked chips.)

Posted my top 3 affirmations on the bathroom mirror. Now, I'm focusing on them not only AM and PM 1st/last thing, but whenever I'm in the bathroom! And I thought about them during my workout as well. When a set got hard, I kept thinking, "I am a fit athlete who is injury-free, which gives me confidence and energy to train hard!" Didn't prevent me from having to drop to lighter weights eventually, but helped me focus on the fact that when an exercise sucks really bad and I hate it (not in an "Ouch, that hurts my knee/hip/shoulder!" way, of course), that's good. That's what it means to train hard. And since I'm a fit athlete who is injury-free and hence has the confidence and energy to train hard...I keep going AS LONG AND AS HARD AS I CAN!

Off to finish with my email before going in to work, where I am an effective counselor who is able to deal with challenging individuals and families, which gives me a sense of competence and enthusiasm.

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. - Bruce Lee

Hey Beth,
I am with you on the binge thing . . . I am a bottomless pit . . . and would gladly choose a pint of vegan ice cream over real food any day.
However - since I switched over to a whole foods diet - I have ZERO - and I mean ZERO cravings for crap. It took about three weeks - they just went away. The important thing in my opinion is to stay away from processed foods. The only processed foods I eat are tofu/tempeh, whole grain bread or wraps and occasionally soy products (soy chicken) when I eat out. And these are all occasional foods for me - the bulk of my diet is fruit and veggies. . . with nuts and whole grains here and there.
I know you love your Clif bars and boca burgers . .. but, I am a true believer that these foods can create cravings . . .
When you are ready - maybe try a three week commitment to whole foods only and see how you feel - think of it as a cleanse . . .
Hope you are well!! And thank you for sharing so much in your journal.

Lindsay76: I'm pressed for time this AM and don't have time to respond to your posting with the detail and care it deserves. Just wanted to say thanks for the post and I will truly consider doing the 3-week whole foods cleanse! It may be a new year's thing...

Clever Name wrote:[ My cravings don't discriminate between sweet and salty, as long as the food is nice and fatty! :

Me too! When I kept a food diary and tried to control calories (keeping them under 2000/day) my fat intake was always more than 1/3 total calories. Not healthy!

Lindsay76 wrote:Hey Beth,I am with you on the binge thing . . . I am a bottomless pit . . . and would gladly choose a pint of vegan ice cream over real food any day.However - since I switched over to a whole foods diet - I have ZERO - and I mean ZERO cravings for crap. It took about three weeks - they just went away. The important thing in my opinion is to stay away from processed foods. The only processed foods I eat are tofu/tempeh, whole grain bread or wraps and occasionally soy products (soy chicken) when I eat out. And these are all occasional foods for me - the bulk of my diet is fruit and veggies. . . with nuts and whole grains here and there.I know you love your Clif bars and boca burgers . .. but, I am a true believer that these foods can create cravings . . .When you are ready - maybe try a three week commitment to whole foods only and see how you feel - think of it as a cleanse . . . Hope you are well!! And thank you for sharing so much in your journal.

I totally agree with Lindsay - and share the same experiences. The less processed foods you eat, the fewer cravings you'll have

About the processed foods: actually, I eat less than I used to. I used to snack all day on Hi-Lo...then again, I had a job where that just made sense. No meal breaks and driving around all day meant I needed foods I could eat with one hand while driving or writing with the other, and food that would not go bad in a hot vehicle (I had beans ferment in the course of a few hours). I recognize the boca burgers, the CLIF builder's bars, and the Hi-Lo (it's a high protein cereal, for anyone who didn't know) are high in sodium, which we all need to watch. My question is--and here, I'm veering into nutrition forum material--how do vegans get enough protein to build muscle while keeping the calories low enough to drop fat AND eliminating processed foods? I have a hunch the response is going to be that we don't need much protein to build muscle, which brings us back to the seemingly age-old debate on the forums about how much protein is optimal for muscle building. I know Vegan Potter has built muscle on, like, 25 grams a day despite his best efforts to get lighter for cycling...but I am skeptical about whether I could do the same. I have never had trouble shedding pesky muscle. The approach I have taken is to ask lots and lots of people whose opinions I respect (and who have a physique to back up their recommendations ) how much is a good amount, how much is too much, and how much is too little. I take the low end and high end of the range, and try to stay within it. Currently, my figure is 80-150 grams, given my body weight of about 130. And my current food plan keeps the grams of protein at about 132.

OK...in the spirit of remaining open to feedback...what do you recommend, food plan wise, for someone who is trying to build more muscle and lose body fat? (Which of course opens the door to the debate about whether it's possible to do both at once...) I want a food plan I can stick with year-round, not a bulking/cutting program. I've lived a life of extremes, food wise, for too long. I don't care if results come slowly (I'd RATHER they came quickly, of course); what's more important to me is a healthful, sane eating plan (which will help me build muscle and lose fat)! And if you believe it's not possible to do both at once, I'd love to hear from you, too! Thanks for reading and offering feedback. Looking forward to learning more!

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. - Bruce Lee